An Effort to Believe
by The Wandering Swordsman
Summary: For the ZoroxSanji/SanjixZoro Christmas Exchange Fic. AU. A chronicle of Sanji's life as he changes from a Christmas loving child to a disbelieving delinquent. All the while, his close friend Zoro watches him. Rated M for language.


**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**This is for the ZoroxSanji/SanjixZoro Christmas Exchange Fic hosted by kumiko-sama-chan! I'm in charge of posting it today, December 11!**

**Thank you dearshul and fuyuneko for editing!**

A young boy with golden locks and deep blue eyes ran down a sloped road. The icy breeze stung his skin and his cheeks were red, but he didn't seem to care. There was a bright smile on the child's face that melted the freezing temperature. It was almost Christmas; his favorite time of year besides his birthday. He loved the cold weather with an occasional special snow present from the sky. He loved the presents, the warmth of family, the icy spice of Christmas trees, cinnamon scented candles, making snowman, baking Christmas Cookies for Santa Claus, having snow fights, and singing Christmas songs.

Sanji, that was his name, was heading home from school. He decided to take the long way home, the route that took him to a city street. There, he saw the streets decorated into a Christmas theme. He also was looking forward to the city park because volunteers decorated it also with lights and sparkly tinsel.

"Wow!" Sanji exclaimed cheerfully when he finally got to the entrance of the park. The entranceway had a fancy arch but had been rusted and green from the rain. This month, however, it was covered in gold and silver tinsel and red and green ball ornaments. The old rusty arched gate was bright, colorful and pretty. Sanji awed at the arch for so long, he didn't notice there was a small figure nearby, staring at the same arch.

A young boy stood with his head pointing upwards. He wore a dark gray hooded jacket, so Sanji couldn't see his face at all. The jacket looked too big on him, so it sagged to his legs, and the sleeves dangled a foot longer than his arms. Sensing someone was looking at him, the boy turned around to face Sanji.

Hidden under the rundown, gray jacket was a pretty face. Sanji pulled a smile and waved at the boy. The boy waved back.

"Pretty arch." The boy said, pointing to the gates.

"Yeah, I come here every year to see it!" Sanji grinned. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yeah." The boy answered, glancing at the gates and back to Sanji. The boy had pretty eyes too; it was grayish-blue. It also had a hint of green, but it could be the hair that poked out. Wait, green hair? Sanji was about to blurt out about it, but he kept his mouth shut. The boy must be wearing the hood for that reason.

Sanji changed his mind and started with a different topic, "Do you live around here?"

"No, I live two towns from here. But, I heard that the park here is really pretty during Christmas."

"What's your name?"

"Zoro." The boy answered, and then he turned his body fully to face him, "What's your name?"

"Sanji."

Zoro gave one, slow nod, as if he acknowledged something.

"Do you...like Christmas?"

"Like Christmas?" Sanji raised his voice in a good way, "I love Christmas! It's the best time of year!" He saw a smile form across Zoro's face, so he babbled on, "Mom and Dad said that if I be good all year, Santa Claus will give me a present on Christmas Day! But, I have to be real good or I won't be getting anything...and I really want something this year!"

"What's the thing you want?"

"It's a scooter! But, I really want the one that has the shark symbol and with blue tires!" Sanji took Zoro's hand, "I'll show you!" Sanji didn't let Zoro have time to answer for he ran out of the park, pulling his new friend with him. The small boys went straight into the crosswalk where crowds of people occupied the roads.

Sanji took Zoro to the number one biggest toy store in the city. Five stories tall, with elevators and escalators, every floor was toppling with toys. The building was constructed in a way to see all of floors in a doughnut shape. During Christmas season, workers installed a gigantic Christmas tree in the middle, so that customers on the fifth floor could almost reach and touch the star. Sanji loved to stop in the middle of the first floor and look straight up because he could feel all of the sights and sounds of Christmas. Zoro stood with him too, although he stared up with a cool expression.

"Do you want to take the stairs, elevators, or the escalator?"

"Whichever you want," Zoro paused to look at Sanji's direction, "...but it sounds like you want to take the escalator."

"Yeah!" Sanji grinned, but a blush appeared because Zoro read his mind clearly, "You get to see everything!" He took Zoro's hand once more and led him to an escalator. They peered at the edge as the mechanism slowly took them to the second floor. Sanji memorized what floors contained what, so they made it into the right floor within minutes. There, Sanji showed Zoro the scooter he wanted, as well as the nifty bicycles and small vehicles he liked.

"I hope Santa Claus knows what I want," Sanji counted his fingers, "I went to five malls to talk to Santa Claus, and I wrote a letter too!"

"You did?"

"Yeah. Dad said that if I write 'North Pole' on the address, the postman knows." Sanji grinned, "Do you have a Christmas wish?"

Zoro titled his head to the side, so part of the hood revealed his hair. His hair was green, so a smile formed across Sanji's face because his assumption was right, "I don't have one yet."

"You should hurry because there's only twelve more days until Christmas!" Sanji tugged Zoro's sleeve, "Do you want to look at the other floors? It might have something you like."

The two ended up staying in the toy store until late afternoon because Zoro couldn't decide on what he wanted. Zoro needed to go on a train to head on home, so Sanji escorted him there. Sanji was sad that Zoro lived far away, but his new friend promised that he would always be at the park. So, they said farewell and Sanji went on home.

On Christmas Day, right below his stocking was a large elongated present. Sanji was screaming as he opened it, and he screamed until his voice went hoarse when it was just the gift he wanted. His trust for Santa Claus grew each year.

As Sanji grew up, he obstinately believed in Santa Claus while other children began to doubt and disbelieve. Some of his classmates told him that Santa Claus never existed; it was their parents' scheme to persuade them to be good. Sanji, however, didn't listen. His parents looked just as surprised when he opened Santa Claus' presents, so no way they were the ones who placed it. Plus, Santa Claus ate his cookies and wrote a thank you note; his writing didn't match with either of his parents.

Because of this, Sanji received strange stares from his classmates. He wasn't afraid because he had Zoro. His friend never accepted or denied Santa Claus' existence, but he was always on Sanji's side. Whenever Sanji's classmates made fun of him for still believing in Santa, Zoro was there to beat them up.

Since Zoro was always agreeing with Sanji, the two had a special bond. Although Zoro attended elementary school a city away, he always waited at the park to play with Sanji. At the park, they rode on swings and climbed on the monkey bars. Sometimes, Sanji wanted to talk, so they sat on a park bench. Sanji babbled on about his life, his crush, and his dreams to Zoro, and his friend listened. Those were the good times, so Sanji never believed that his peaceful, happy childhood would end so abruptly.

When Sanji turned eleven and began middle school, his parents went into a divorce. There was a subtle tense air surrounding the two, and it finally shattered. Shouts and screams were constant in the house, and it tore Sanji apart. It got worse when his parents finally separated, and Sanji spent his first Christmas with only one parent.

He began to doubt; what was family? What was the point of Christmas, with its warm jolliness, when there was no family to be enjoying it? Because of this, Sanji changed as well. He didn't want to go home anymore. He started to ditch school and hang out with friends who knew his pain, but guided him to the wrong road. That year, Sanji didn't receive a gift from Santa Claus, and he finally accepted that it was his parents who left the gifts.

Since Zoro lived far away, they didn't spend time together as they used to. Especially after the divorce and his mother decided to move out to a city, Sanji stopped visiting the park. All of the things he used to do before the family breakup he abandoned, and he started something new, although not as great.

Years passed by, and Sanji was a junior in high school. He couldn't stand living with either parent, so he ran away upon entering high school. He rented an old apartment a few blocks from a convenience store, so he could work there part-time. He barely attended school because it was a waste of time. Hanging out with his friends was way better, and they taught him cool things that weren't taught in school. It wasn't the best life, but he felt like he started from scratch.

Life felt good, until Zoro found him.

A few days before Christmas, Sanji and his peers hung out at a game center, intimidating children for cash. They needed to save money to attend a nightclub. Since Christmas was approaching, the club they were going to was going to be decorated in festive colors; the pretty ladies as well. They planned to drink a few glasses, flirt and find a good woman to enjoy for the night. After collecting a good amount, they released the children out of intimidation. As the children ran out crying, a man walked past them and entered the game center. One of Sanji's friends raised his head and smirked.

"Hey, Sanji. Your bodyguard's here."

Sanji clicked his tongue and glared at the doorway. His friends were sneering, but their smiles were tense. Zoro had the nickname 'bodyguard' for a reason. They had witnessed Zoro beat up their leader into bits after he heard that their leader urged Sanji to drink. They were afraid of Zoro, which ruined Sanji's relationship with them.

Sanji had to admit, Zoro was creeping him out too. The man hadn't changed since their first encounter. He wore the dark, gray hooded jacket to hide his green hair. He had piercings now; three on his left ear. He looked dark and very angry, which scared his peers.

Same as the outside, Zoro hadn't changed in the inside. He still cared for Sanji (too much in Sanji's opinion) and had urged him many times to be good again. But what was the point of good when there was no such thing as Santa or parents to support him? Becoming good took time and strain, while being bad was easy and required no effort.

"Sanji," Zoro immediately grabbed Sanji by the sleeve, "Come on, let's go home."

"No, Zoro, I'm going to hang out with them for-" Zoro didn't hear any of it. His brute strength dragged Sanji out of the group. The blond screamed out obscenities, yet Zoro pretended not to hear.

When they were a block away from Sanji's apartment, Sanji managed to slip out of Zoro's grasp. Zoro turned to grab him again, but Sanji slapped his arms.

"Stop it!" Sanji shouted, as he swatted another incoming arm, "Stop ruining my life!"

Zoro lowered his arms, and his frown grew, "Don't you see that _they're_ ruining your life? I've heard that you haven't been going to school for a week and three days."

Sanji shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold. Zoro seemed to know everything about him. Sanji thought it was cool, but now it was downright disturbing.

"Will you stop stalking me Zoro? You're freaking me out!"

"At this rate, you won't be able to achieve your dreams!"

Sanji stopped yelling, so he could clearly hear what Zoro said. The corner of Sanji's lips twitched, and he let out a snort, "Dream? What dream?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Yeah, I don't remember. Please clarify." Sanji answered sarcastically as he lit a cigarette.

Zoro glared, "Smoking isn't good for you-"

"Fuck off." Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke. Tonight, the cigarette tasted horrible, but it calmed down his nerves. Maybe, if he talked nicely, Zoro would leave. "All right, I won't go to any parties tonight."

"And will you promise me you'll go to school?"

Sanji rolled his eyes, so Zoro raised his voice, "Sanji!"

Sanji spread his arms wide and slapped his chest, a gesture his peers did to look bigger and intimidating. Usually, it worked, but Zoro didn't falter. "Will you cut the crap, Zoro?"

"I'm worried about you Sanji," Zoro lowered his voice, "I want you to succeed, so your dream can come true."

"Do I look like I'm dreaming? Dreaming is for kids."

Hurt etched across Zoro's features. Sanji felt a pang of guilt, but he honestly wanted Zoro gone.

"You've changed Sanji..."

"What do you expect? Did you believe I was still a retard who believes in Santa Claus and mermaids?"

Zoro lowered his head and whispered sadly, "I liked you when you were a retard..."

"Well, the retard's dead now!" Sanji screamed, nearly breaking his vocal cords, "He's gone, and I'm here! So, if you don't like it, get the hell away from me!"

Sanji shouted as loud as he could until his voice cracked. Because of this, he had to bend down to take gulps of air. Smoking didn't help, so he coughed several times. It was a pathetic sight, but it worked. When he looked up, Zoro looked defeated. The last bit of hope that shone in his eyes was extinguished, and he was as dead as a lifeless, but pretty, doll.

However, accomplishment didn't seep into his skin when he saw the way Zoro looked at him. He couldn't breathe as his lungs constricted, refusing any air. Zoro didn't speak, but his eyes told Sanji everything; it was exactly how his parents and teachers looked at him before allowing him to do whatever he wanted.

Disappointment.

Sighing, Zoro turned and quietly walked away. Sanji's lips parted, and he tried to form words. When he was about to make a sound, his cell phone rang. His eye tore off from Zoro for a second to read the message on the screen. It was his peers asking if he was going to find a way to get rid of Zoro, so he could attend the party. He turned back to see where Zoro was, but his friend was gone.

His blood ran cold, and his heartbeat sped up.

Just to make sure, he went home to his apartment to see that Zoro wasn't waiting at the foot of the stairs. The heartbeat sounds grew louder, but he tried to calm down. He didn't understand why the world felt large and terrifying. He needed to get his mind off it; maybe his friends and the party would help. He dressed into a cleaner set of sweater and jeans and sneaked out into the night.

He arrived right on time, and his friends waited at the corner of the street. The group stood up and all exchanged their welcome greetings.

"Oh man, you guys won't believe it," Sanji chuckled as his trembled fingers lit a fresh cigarette, "I finally got rid of the bodyguard."

He expected them to be relieved as well. However, their faces were filled with confusion.

"What bodyguard?"

Sanji assumed that his friends drank or smoked too much, so he chuckled, "You know, the bodyguard who stalked me everywhere? Who beat up Belamy?"

One of the men narrowed his eyes, "No one beat up Belamy. He was fooling around in the streets and got hit by a car."

"Dude, are you smoking something, Sanji? Give me some."

Sanji felt his heart stop. His eye rushed, scanning his friends' eyes to make sure they were sane and not intoxicated, but they were still clear.

"Guys, Zoro? The guy with the hoodie?"

"Whatever Sanji. Come on, you'll forget about it once the party starts-Sanji?" His friends' shouts grew distant as Sanji bolted to where he and Zoro had their last argument. From there, he circled the places where Zoro always found him, but he wasn't there. The fear came crawling back to him, and panic made his face blue. He gasped out breaths as if he was drowning, drowning into a pool of darkness where he couldn't touch the floor.

Was Zoro a dream, a friend Sanji created to keep him company? No, Zoro was here moments ago, yelling at him, grabbing his arm to take him away from a bad environment Sanji was afraid to let go. His wrist still burned from the vice grip. Zoro wasn't made up.

When Sanji couldn't find him anywhere, he racked his head to come up with other places Zoro could be. He raised his head; there was only one place. He quickly ran to the nearest train station to buy a ticket. The trip was only a half an hour, but it felt terribly long.

When the train doors slid open, Sanji rushed through them and into the streets. It had been almost four years since he visited his hometown. He didn't have time to look around, but the streets were decorated with Christmas lights and signs. The park was no different. Its glamour intensified since he last saw it. Volunteers took a lot of effort to cover every tree, bench, play area with tinsel and ornaments. It was like entering a gold and silver wonderland. Sanji didn't need to run into the heart of the park because he found him.

Zoro stood by the decorated arch, as if he had been standing there all this time. Once Sanji found him, relief filled his heart. He wasn't crazy; Zoro existed.

"Zoro, where were you? I searched everywhere, but no one remembered who you are!"

"That's because I was never here in the first place." Zoro answered as it was the most obvious answer in the world. Sanji, who was disheveled with confusion and desperation, couldn't understand why Zoro was talking so calmly.

"But, you're right here!"

"That's because you still have the desire to see me." Zoro threaded his fingers together, "but that will soon be disappearing too."

Zoro turned to Sanji, and the blond couldn't believe how composed his friend was. Zoro smiled as he raised his hands to his hood to remove it off his head. Sanji had never seen Zoro without a hood before, so his eye flew to the lush of green hair. But, his eye widened in absolute surprise; Zoro wore a hood to hide something else.

Long, pointed ears stood out, making his face appear smaller.

"Y-You're an elf?" Sanji gasped, unable to contain his excitement.

"Mr. Claus' elf."

Sanji mumbled out incoherent gibberish before he finally remembered how to speak, "Why didn't you tell me you were an elf?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Zoro asked, removing his dark, gray sweater, "You still would've ended up on the naughty list."

"W-Wait-! You're Santa Claus's elf!?" Sanji's delayed reaction made Zoro laugh. His friend was an elf and was working for Santa Claus, the real Santa Claus?

Zoro smiled as he saluted in a languid manner, "I was assigned by Mr. Claus to look out for you because you were destined to go on the naughty list. You were doing great, until you ran away and I lost your whereabouts."

Sanji's eye widened, "So that's why you kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas every year!"

Zoro nodded, "Because you were good."

Hands flew to Sanji's hair as he suddenly felt embarrassed. "Wow...you're an elf..."

"Yeah."

"But, you beat up Belamy."

"So?"

"I thought elves were nice."

Zoro burst into light chuckles, "That's only in human books."

Zoro removed the rest of the sweater, and it revealed a completely different outfit. It was a crisp, dark blue uniform with silver beads sewn around the collar and sleeves. Small beads of crystal formed in an array of dazzling snowflake designs. Sanji's eye couldn't decide where to stare because everything about Zoro was so new, strange, and beautiful.

The elf realized that Sanji had his eye all over him, "What?"

"I really wished you've told me you were an elf."

"I'm just following orders: I'm not supposed to reveal myself. Here, a souvenir." Zoro handed the gray sweater into Sanji's open arms.

"B-But you're-"

"Well, if I'm leaving, might as well show you what I am."

"Zoro, are you serious that you're going to leave-" Sanji froze when he saw a slight change in his friend. He looked a little pale; his whole body looked like it was fading out of color. When he examined Zoro from head to foot, his blood ran cold again. He could see the decorated arch through Zoro's body.

"Zoro what-" Sanji reached out to hold Zoro's hand, but he only caught air, "what's this?"

Zoro's eyes grew sad and sighed quietly, "When children grow up, they stop and forget to imagine. All of the imaginary friends, the beliefs and visions only a child can see, they lose that special sight. I'm kind of like that, except it took you _a long time_ to grow up."

"A-Are you really leaving...?" When Zoro nodded, Sanji shook his head, "D-Don't go, Zoro..."

"It's too late now." Zoro's answers had always lacked emotion, but this time the words painfully stung Sanji's heart. Zoro watched Sanji's panicked movements in a silent manner, "You're an adult now Sanji, you've acknowledged that. You can't whine and cry like a baby anymore."

"I didn't cry-"

Zoro smirked, "You're crying right now."

Sanji rubbed his eye to prove Zoro wrong, "S-So...I can't see you anymore...?"

Zoro stared at him silently, so Sanji held his breath. His heart, however, fell when Zoro nodded. Sanji couldn't describe the emotion that slowly consumed him. It was similar to fear: the fear of losing someone who had faith in him. Both of his parents disowned him when he began hanging out with his current friends. He left his hometown because everyone stared at him as if he was a lost, pitiful soul. The only person who never looked at him like that was Zoro, but he was disappearing too. Sanji's body trembled from the fear, so he crossed his arms and held tight, clenching his jaw to hold back a scream.

"But," Zoro's voice broke through the inevitable fear, and Sanji was able to raise his head, "even if you can't see me anymore, I'll always be near." Zoro was only a vague silhouette now, but his smile was still there, bright and visible, "No matter what happens in your life, I'll support you like how I've always done."

No sound came from Zoro's lips, but his lips moved to form the last words. Sanji heard it clearly, and he nodded with tears falling down from his face. A faint trace of Zoro's smile was all Sanji saw, and it was gone. Sanji realized he still had Zoro's gray hooded sweater, the only remnant he had of his best friend. He slowly buried his face in the crumpled jacket to muffle his sobs.

That was the last time Sanji ever saw Zoro, and from this there was another change. Sanji wondered if people changed their lives two or more times from every dramatic event. However, this time turned out to be good.

The years to become good again took years, seven years in fact. He still smoked, and he probably would continue smoking even if Zoro was still around. He loved Christmas all over again, now more than his birthdays. He left the friend group, unfortunately, with painful consequences. He nearly got lynched by his peers, but someone found him in time before he lost his life. Sanji had a permanent scar on his face, in which he hid it well with his long bangs. He returned to his hometown to continue high school, and barely scraped through graduation with 'low than average' grades.

After two years of community college, to have a chance to raise his education status, he was accepted to a culinary school. From there, it didn't take long for him to stand out from the other students. He made friends who actually helped him and made jokes that were purely funny. His skills in cooking became well-known; his good looks helped bump up his reputation.

The greatest accomplishment was when he got what he had been dreaming of: his own restaurant. It was a fancy place where well-dressed couples ate daintily and talked business. The food was delicious, and all of the waiters treated everyone with respect. During Christmas time, the restaurant was decorated with many decorations, and the air was filled with sweet aroma of desserts; it was the perfect image of what Santa Claus' house would look like. The restaurant received positive reviews from many critics for the splendid dishes and the air of sophistication. It also stood out from the rest for another reason: families were allowed.

Young girls and boys followed after their parents, each wearing pretty clothes they only wore for special occasions. The children were treated like guests also, so girls giggled and blushed when waiters called them princess; the boys grinned and felt proud when they were called gentleman. The critics assumed that this strange yet generous idea was because the restaurant owner loved children. However, it wasn't only that.

For Sanji, the best tip wasn't a hundred dollar bill, a check with four digit numbers, or a kiss on the cheek by a gorgeous lady.

It was when the dinner was finished and Sanji greeted the guests, every child would point to a space beside Sanji and say that there was an elf standing next to him.

**The End**


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